﻿A bit over four weeks ago, I waved goodbye to some remarkable people at The Mustard Seed ministry, and I still think about them every day. I’d like to take a few minutes to introduce you to some of the people who are quietly changing the world by changing their corner of the world.

You’ve already met Mama Julia if you read my previous post. How to describe her, hmmm. I want to say she is the brains behind it all, but I think it would be more accurate to say she is the heart beating beneath this crucial ministry. She leans hard on God, but there are still day (and nights) when she worries… if money will come in to pay for the next month’s electric on her prepayment meter, if she will be able to find the medicine this child needs to keep maintaining a level of relative health in the face of challenging odds, if that child will find help for his deepest needs. Julia loves Jesus with her whole broken heart, and she talks with Him about all the children God brings to her.

Julia’s daughter Jessica lives at the Mustard Seed house. She is a beautiful young woman, still figuring out her life; it has not been an easy journey for her, for any of them. Julia likes it when the two of them can work together in the kitchen; Jessica willingly shares her room with the extra girls in the house.

Crawling?! Look out world, here I come!!

Jessica’s tiny daughter lives at the Mustard Seed house too, and she adds a lot of sparkle to an already lively household. She learned to crawl the Monday after Mother’s Day, a milestone that brought laughter and celebration. It’s hard to imagine what her future will be, but to God that piece is clear. If “He’s got the whole world in His hands,” we can trust that He won’t drop this little one.

This is Julia’s son, Daniel. He has a gentle nature and a heart to help. He has recently completed his Motor Mechanics course (with distinction!!) He is an ambitious young man in search of a job in a crazy world. (This is what makes Mamas everywhere pray every day.) While I was visiting, he kindly shared his room with his mom, while she insisted I sleep in her room.

Joshua is the oldest of Julia’s children, and he is an integral part of the Mustard Seed ministry these days. Joshua is quietly intense…I don’t know when he sleeps. His deep love for the children is evident in the time he invests in helping with homework and figuring out the soccer schedule. Again. I never heard him raise his voice; I did overhear a long and impassioned talk he had with the Mustard Seed soccer players, explaining to them that the soccer program isn’t just about soccer. He talked about character development, about following God, and about rising up to be the next level of leaders among the Mustard Seed children. He is thoughtfully modeling this strategy as he interacts in the watching community.

Soccer planning...again?!

Role model, mentor, friend.

Earlier this year, as I read Julia’s posts on Facebook about her feeding program, about cooking supper for 50+ kids most weekdays, I thought, “She needs to have help.” I began to pray. About that time, God sent two women to the Mustard Seed house…

I always admired this handsfree, gadget free baby carrier!

Snack time!

New jammies...and a bathrobe!

Oussie devotes herself to the care of the littlest one; actually, Oussie helps with whatever needs done!! She adds a positive joyful spirit to the household as does her little granddaughter who always comes along!

Ma Nkoma stirs a pot of pap..with vigor. All of the pictures were slightly blurred, because she isn't still very often!

Ma Nkoma is one part housekeeper, one part cook, one part village liaison/ damage control specialist. She helps do what needs to be done; she cooks, and she runs interference in the community when necessary. Some days she verifies the stories that have been told to Julia, other days she shakes her head and says it’s not true. Since she speaks English and Sotho, she completes the language triangle between Julia, who speaks English, Afrikaans and some Zulu and Oussie who prefers Sotho.

Ma Nkoma knows how to wield this broom...taking care of the house isn't just a job, it's her mission. "I do this for God." Which is a good thing...because God knows the money isn't a given!

Ohhh, no one can scrub those pots like she can!

There was one other pair of familiar faces at the Mustard Seed house for a while, since Joseph and Meredith both delivered me to and picked me up from QwaQwa. Both times, they spent hours doing what needed to be done around the house. The gas stove was the first and most needed project. (See where the gas canister is sitting in this picture?) Let’s just say that stove is much safer now, and the guardian angels of Julia’s household can devote themselves to other tasks. Yes, it was that bad. Julia is still scared of gas, but now Ma Nkomo doesn’t go home from work with a headache every day, and I’m betting the gas lasts a whole lot longer!

Other bits and pieces also improved under Joseph’s clever hands – his return trip brought improved flushing, a new toilet seat (Thank you Lord…) and a crazy sturdy basketball hoop. (They can slam dunk now, and nothing is going to happen to that hoop…unless they pull the post out of the ground!) Julia and I enjoyed seeing our “boys” busy together!

And of course, the faces of the Mustard Seed Ministry must include the children…no names, no stories, no details,just this reality –

Every face is a child whom God deeply loves.

Every face does indeed have a name and story and a heart filled with hope.

One night I listened as they announced their dreams and desires for the future – this one wants to be a fire fighter, another one dreams of astronomy. That one has a singular focus – soccer, soccer, soccer. This girl wants to be a social worker, a fashion designer, a teacher.

Please pray with me for the Mustard Seed Ministry, for these tireless workers, laying down their lives every day on the side of a lonely mountain for the sake of these children, for God's sake.

I was there, and I’m here to say it’s not a God-forsaken place. God shows up every day, and these are his hands…

Author

I'm finding my way beyond the maze of the "middle" years (if I'm gonna be 100 and something someday...) ​living life as a country woman who is a writer, gardener, wife, mom, nature observer, teacher,and most of all a much loved child of God.